“You’re acting like you still live here, and you don’t.”

“How do you want me to act? I’m trying to help you.”

Lina drew in a deep breath. She was being completely unreasonable. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair. I just don’t want you to think anything has changed because of last night.”

“Why are you trying to convince yourself you don’t want this? You came to me in your sleep. Doesn’t that tell you something?”

“It was a temporary lapse.”

“Oh, is that what it was?” He slid one hand along the side of her jaw, tilting her head back. “That’s not what your eyes tell me.”

“You’re just seeing what you want to see.” Her hands pressed against his abdomen.

“I don’t think so.”

“You’re not about to have another lapse right in front of everybody, are you?”

Lina jumped back at the sound of Adele’s voice. “We’re just talking.”

“Yeah that’s what it looked like.”

“This is none of your business, Adele,” Phil said shortly. “No one asked for your opinion.”

“Stop.” Lina touched his chest. “It’s Christmas and we have a house full of people. We’ll talk later.”

Lina was finishing up the dishes after the last guest departed when she felt a pair of strong hands slide up her back to her shoulders. “Let me stay another night,” Phil said against her ear.

“No.” She turned off the water and stepped away from the sink, putting distance between them.

“It’s still Christmas. I’ll leave tomorrow.”

“No,” she whispered. “We’re not having a repeat of last night.”

“Why not?”

“Nothing’s changed. Last night I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t let myself think. But I am now, and I’m not going back there.”

“You still love me. I can see it in your eyes when you look at me. I could feel it in your body when you were under me—”

“Stop!” she hissed, pressing her fingers over his lips. “They’ll hear you.”

“I don’t care. I’m fighting for them too.”

“No.” Lina shook her head. “I’m finding myself. I can’t do that with you. You swallowed me.”

“Swallowed you?” He frowned. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I got a job. Did you know I have a job?”

“Yes, I heard.”

“You never wanted me to work.”

“I never discouraged you from working.”

“You never encouraged me to.”

“You never showed the slightest interest in working outside our home. If it was something I knew you wanted, I would have been a hundred percent behind it.”

“You’re my husband. You should have been encouraging me to expand my world. Instead you just let my whole existence revolve around you.”

“Are you looking for reasons to hate me?”

“No. I’m just telling you how I feel.”